"You've got the kind of loving that can be so smooth."
-Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas
Six years earlier...
Claire had been on the road for hours. Even though she liked the idea of skipping her humanities exam and was enthralled by the experience of the wind in her auburn hair, this trip was becoming more of an annoyance with each mile that passed by.
Chris left a message on her answering machine, telling her simply that he was leaving, not to look for him and that he loved her. He couldn't have honestly thought she would just sit around and do nothing, that she wouldn't have been worried? It just wasn't like him to go and disappear to do something important without filling someone in on his intentions. Quite frankly, she was slightly insulted. If he was in trouble, why didn't he want her help? Claire knew from the moment she heard the message and revved the engine of her motorcycle that she had to find him to get the answers.
So Claire Redfield set out for the bustling, industrial metropolis of Raccoon City.
She passed the road sign telling her that the city was only a half mile away almost too fast, but she didn't need a sign to tell her she was close to finding the answers. It did bother her, however; something didn't feel right. First, where were all the cars? For such a populous city it was odd to not see any member of the 'population' out on the road, especially since it was only 9:43 in the evening.
She also had a problem: while she knew her brother was a cop in the S.T.A.R.S division of the RPD, she didn't know where the hell the police station was. Her whoahs were on the way to being cured, when she spotted a diner in the distance: Emmy's Diner. Claire pulled up next to the entrance and scowled at a couple of rats that jumped off an adjacent trash can, but a smile creased her lips as she realized that she was one step closer to finding Chris.
"Ah, I'm finally here," she said to no one in particular as she pulled her helmet off. She wung her right leg over the seat and proceeded to enter the diner.
Upon opening the door and walking in, she noticed that no music was playing, no drunkards occupied the bar stools, and it seemed to be just as deserted as the highway was.
"Hello?" She started strolling casually towards the back, "Is anyone here? Hello?"
Claire suddenly heard a strange noise in the back, a slurpping sound that made her skin crawl, but she kept walking. Behind the counter on the floor a man was slumped over something. and she realized that the disgusting slurping (and now crunching) noises were coming from him.
"Erm, hello?"
The man suddenly stopped and turned slowly to her. Claire gasped at his grotesque face and distorted features, and felt her heart race as he rose off the floor to grab her.
She began to back away, "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you, okay? Just don't come...any...closer!"
He let out a moan as he extended his arms.
"Are you listening!?" she gasped as she hit the window. Claire spun around and to her horror discovered two more people just like him scratching and drooling on the glass. She shieked and frantically looked around for an exit. To her left, she saw the back door and the green sign telling her that her salvation was just on the other side. Forgetting reasoning with the man...thing...she sprinted for the door.
They're not human...but dear God, what are they!?
She pushed the metal door open and gasped again to find she had come face to face with the nozzle of a gun.
Claire threw her arms up to defend herself, "Wait, don't shoot!"
He tensed up and shouted, "Get down!"
She instantly hit the ground and covered her head as the boom of a handgun bullet sped past her and landed right between the eyes of her pursuer. Claire spun, mouth open, to see it's motionless body and then turned back to her savior and his outstretched hand.
His eyes were full of shock, but his demeanor was nothing but serious. "We can't stay out here, get to the police station; it'll be a lot
safer." He motioned with his head from her to come on. Without hesitation, she grasped his hand and they ran.
Behind them, Claire heard the creatures moan. They came to the mouth of the alley and more were coming out from behind buildings and from under cars. The man looked around nervously, and suddenly shouted, "There!"
Claire turned and followed him to an abandoned police car in the middle of the road. She was relieved to find the door unlocked and the keys in the ignition. Claire climbed into the passenger side, letting her companion do the driving. One of the monsters hit the back of the car as he started the engine.
"Buckle up!" he commanded.
"Okay," Claire replied trying to hide the panic in her voice as he floored the car and sped down the now congested road.
They passed more creatures as they picked up speed. He appeared to know where he was going, but his calm facade faltered as he began to mess with the radio communicator. Claire turned to him, hopeful he was as knowledgeable as he came off as being.
She watched him turn the dial and then asked, "What's going on? I arrived in town and the whole place went
insane...!"
"Great! The radio's out!"
Sweat trickled down his face as he sat back in his seat. Claire noticed his badge and asked an obvious question with a strong, seroius tone of voice, "You're a cop, right?"
He glanced at her and responded in the same tone, "Yeah, first day on the job. Great, huh?" he faced her then and his next statement was kinder, calmer, " Name's Leon Kennedy, nice to
meet you."
"Mine's Claire. Claire Redfield," she shifted in her seat, "I came to find my brother, Chris."
Leon swerved so hard around the next corner that Claire had to grip the seat to keep from smashing into the window. She would have questioned his driving ability under different circumstances, but all she cared about now was getting to the police station.
He looked sideways at her, mostly keeping his attention on the road, and asked, "Hey, could you check the glove box?"
"Sure," she said as she reached for the latch. Inside, there was nothing but a handgun, "There's a gun inside."
Leon looked relieved, "Better take it with you."
Claire aimed the gun at the window, practicing innocently how to hold it. Leon was a about to say something else when he all of a sudden felt something gripping the seat.
Claire let out a sheik as one of the creatures from before tried to pull her in the back seat.
"No!" Leon shouted as he spun the wheel and hit an skidded alongside a building.
"Watch out!" Leon swerved to the other side and then reached around to the back seat and punched the creature in the face. It let go of Claire and hit the back seat hard, but it was not phased . Claire screamed and threw her arms in front of her face again, and Leon did the same as the came to a crashing halt into a road sign. The creature flew through the windshield and was impaled on the sign which stated that the police station and their hope was only another left turn away.
Leon reached out to put a hand on Claire's arm and asked, "You okay?"
She fell back in her seat with a sigh and turned to him with a sarcastic, flirty smile, "Still in one piece."
He smiled too, and Claire almost turned red at how alluring it was. A loud crash behind the car and a nervous glance in the rearview mirror caused his grin to fade, and turned into an expression of terror.
Barreling down the road was a huge tanker truck coming right at them!
"That maniac's gonna ram us!" He saw the driver slump over in the seat and Leon's slowly rising panic filled the air as he shouted, "Run!"
They both grabbed for the seat belts that had just saved their lives, scrambling to unfasten them, and jumped out of the car as the tanker exploded on impact and separated them with a wall of fire.
Leon was on his knees on the ground gasping for breathe; he rolled over and stood up to see the huge fire.
"Claire!" he shouted, worried she had been engulfed in the flames.
His heart stopped short as he heared a hasty reply: "Leon!"
Thank God, she's alive.
"I'm okay! Head to the station!" he calmly exclaimed seeing that there was no need to reach her-she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. "I'll meet you there!"
"Okay", she replied, shielding her eyes from the intense heat, but in her heart, she was afraid. She knew that somehow, it was important that she reach him, so she boldly kept going.
They were separated by an inescapable destiny, but this was only the beginning of their worst nightmare.
Present Day
Leon leaned again the wall and sighed. Ashley could be so nerve-racking sometimes.
She and a group of her over-sexed college girl-friends were glancing at him every once and a while and turning back around to giggle. Obviously, she was bragging about how he had saved her life in Spain and they were so in love with each other after their horrific, life-changing experiences with the evils of the underground, European Las Plagas cult. Ridiculous.
Would she ever learn that he was doing his job? The kind, innocent flirting meant nothing, at least not to him. Maybe he put her on? God, knows he certainly hadn't meant to; this whole thing was most likely his fault, but he had refused her right after she asked, so why was she being so persistent still?
Ashley waved at him and he half-heartily waved back at her with a fake grin.
I'm sorry, Ashley, I don't feel the same way. I might have...maybe...someone...
Leon glance around the Hall and upon discovering that the person he was looking for wasn't there, he walked up to Erin and Ralf at the entrance checking off names and checking out unwanted guests. Ralf stood like statue, large and in charge, while a frail, aging Erin shifted her weight to the other hip every so often out of boredom. Leon actually felt sorry for them. Having to keep the paparazzi and the suicide bombers out of the building had to have been difficult since he was sure they would rather not do Ashley any favors, but a binding contract and damn good salary kept them at the President's daughter's heels.
"Hey, Erin!"
The little old lady in her Sunday best turned to Leon with a smile as she checked off the name of yet another college couple. "Oh, Leon," she instantly saw the worry in his face, "What seems to be the problem?"
"Erin, has everyone on the guest list showed up yet?"
She glanced at her clipboard, "No, not everyone. I think there are at least two more couples and...," she squinted at a name scribbled down at the bottom, "another one of Ashley's friends...that have yet to arrive. Why do you ask?"
Leon rubbed his neck, "No reason, just curious."
"Are you...expecting someone?" She raised both of her gray eyebrows.
"No."
The taxi driver was anything but sympathetic of Claire's schedule. She nervously twisted a strand of loose hair as the driver stopped at another traffic light.
He could have made that green light.
Claire leaned her head on one arm with a sigh and check her watch.
9:45. Great, I'm late.
She glanced at the driver who was idly thumbing threw a newspaper, ignoring the fact that twenty cars behind were blaring their horns in frustration. Claire unbuckled her seat belt, reach in her pocket, and threw a ten in the drivers lap. She got out of the car and slammed the door as hard as she could.
The driver rolled down the window and yelled, "Hey, missy, you no pay me my twenty dollars!"
Claire kept walking but threw the guy the finger as she turned the corner. Where did they get these guys?
Claire walked another half block before she had to bend over to massage her feet. She wished that she had decided against the heals, but since she bailed on Rebecca for the last two days, the woman was entitled to pick out her wardrobe. Rebecca had been all but cooperative when Claire burst through the door begging for her help.
After a brief you-don't-appreciate-me-you're-a-bad-friend speech, Rebecca agreed to help her. They spent about and hour on her hair-which was dumb considering that it ended up being a messy bun with a few curls-and another twenty minutes throw clothes around Sharron's room (how could a woman so butch have such nice clothes?) before finding a very interesting little number: a long, black, show-offish dress. There was a very suggestive slit that came up to right below the thigh, held together with a gold pin. Claire, of course, had immediately objected, but somehow Rebecca had convinced her to at least try it on.
Now she was strutting-because of the heels-towards the White House for a party that she was sure she wasn't originally invited to. How did she expect to even get through the door? No doubt they would mistake her for a newspaper or gossip magazine reporter and just send her on her way without even letting her explain. Or perhaps they would just shoot her; that always works.
Claire rounded another corner and was amazed at what she saw: T.V. news crews, crowds of well-dressed paparazzi, and armed men were gathered out on the front lawn of the White House. She approached the huge iron gates and the man leaning up against it taking names. A man hiding a camera in his jacket was turned down with a flick of the guard's wrist, as well were a couple of paparazzi pretending to be on the list. Claire approached the gate and the man turned to look at her with a frustrated glare.
"Name."
"Um...Claire Redfield."
The man suddenly hestitated, then slowly looked up at her. Claire cringed a little at his crooked smile.
"Did you say, Claire Redfield?"
"Y-Yes?"
His grin spread, "So she really does exist..."
Claire tilted her head to one side. But before she asked if she was allowed in, the gaurd hit the buzzer.
"Have a nice time, Miss Redfield."
The devilish smile never left the man's face as she walked past him.
"Man that guy's weird."
The main lights in the hall dimmed slowly, giving way to the strobe lights and disco ball to create a scene ideal for dancing. Ashley shot a quick glance at Leon who eyed her suspiciously. He noticed most of her friends dancing (grinding) the night away with their dates, and suddenly, he wanted to throw up.
"If she thinks she's going to get me to dirty dance with her or whatever, she's dead wrong."
Ashley casually but quickly approached Leon who groaned to himself. She pushed through the crowd-almost knocking some guy into the desert table-and came to a complete and ungraceful stop in front of her favorite bodygaurd. Her enthusiasm and confidence was profound judging from the goofy smile she wore.
"So...Le...on...how..is...the...party?" She unnecessarily spoke loudly over the music which made the experience all the more un-enjoyable considering just the sound of her voice irked him to no end.
"Fine!" He shouted even louder hoping she would get the hint before he had to be mean to her.
"Oh...well...," she took a glance back at her friends and then turned to Leon again, "I...was...wond..er...ing...if...you...might...want...to-"
"Hey, dude, check out that babe that just walked in the door," an intern commented to another. Even over the music and Ashley's voice, which he had tuned out, he heard the rookie speak loud and clear.
"Yeah, what...a...knock...out!" The other intern replied.
Leon stared past Ashley, the dancing crowds,the guards, ignored the music, Ashley's chatter, the interns laughter, and watched time stand still. She stood just in front of the over-sized doors, hair pulled back in a messy but sexy bun while filling out a tight-fitting-especially around the chest, flowing, elegant but definitely show-offy black dress. He couldn't believe his eyes: that was Claire Redfeild.
She was absolutely stunning.
The man of twenty-seven felt himself blush for the first time in years. But Leon did not care about the facade-developed over six years-as it faded away. His success, obligations, job, and even his manhood did not matter as much in that moment as his current goal: getting to her. It was an impulse, a drive that propelled him past a protesting Ashley and through the crowds obscured by their quick movements in front of the strobe lights.
He moved in slow motion as he approached her.
Claire, disoriented-he guessed-by the people, the lights, and probably the whole situation let her carefully crafted features become a crumple of confusion. He could tell that she was unhappy, reluctant about even considering his request, and was ready to call the whole thing off. It was vital that he reach her before her delicate hands touched the handle to leave. But he became uneasy as he noticed that he was moving too slow, and she too fast it seemed.
Leon's heart rate increased; he could feel it banging noiselessly on the walls of his chest. She started to turn around to face the door.
He wanted to call out to her, to make her stay, but she had already glided to the door. Leon paniced.
She push carefully on the door, and Leon almost shouted at her, thinking he was still far away when he realized he was coming up behind her. Leon reached out for her and she froze as one hand slide down to her waist and the other folded over her hand. He felt his body press against hers, and she shuddered in surprise.
His charming voice was in her ear in the next second, "Going somewhere?"
Sorry, I haven't updated in forever, but school has me REALLY busy lately. I promise to update quicker next time!-colorsOFtheINFINITEsky